


Better Halves

by Anthemyst



Series: Generations Past and Future - Companion Fics [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Mostly Fluff, Wedding Planning, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 21:10:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10474488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst
Summary: After two years of fighting criminals and saving citizens, Gabriel Agreste really shouldn't have been so intimidated by the prospect of asking his partner one simple question...





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set about a year and a half after the end of [The Butterfly and her Brother](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6352870/chapters/14553844).

June, 1997

 

“I need a favor.”

Jonathan Dumas raised an eyebrow. “Story of my life,” he said wryly. “Come on in.” Jonathan stepped aside and let Gabriel Agreste enter his apartment. “So what’s up, Gabe?” he asked as he closed the door. “Are we talking, like, ‘a model bailed on me last-minute and I need a stand-in’ level favor here or more like a ‘mini-kraken infesting the Seine’ level favor?”

“Babysitting,” Gabriel replied curtly.

Jonathan blinked. “Okay,” he said slowly, “that’s a new one. Babysitting whom?”

Sighing, Gabriel reached into his pocket and held up a small blue figure, her large head pinched between his fingers. “Rajji is being… difficult,” Gabriel said, annoyed.

“About what?” Jonathan asked, looking at the kwami. She grinned up at him and started shaking her ornate tail, full of excitement and seemingly unperturbed by her current position.

“Well,” Gabriel started, “I’m taking your sister out to dinner tonight-”

“Eee!” Rajji shouted in excitement suddenly and, phasing through Gabriel’s fingers, began darting frantically around the room.

“-and she keeps doing _that_ whenever the subject comes up,” Gabriel continued, raising his voice significantly in order to be heard over the kwami’s joyful chirps and cries. “I need you to keep her here for the evening so she doesn’t have a fit in the middle of the restaurant and expose us both.”

“Why’s she so excited?” Jonathan asked, also shouting to be heard. “You take Adele out all the time, don’t you? I mean, I know you kind of disappeared for a little while while your fashion empire was taking off, but I thought you two were mostly back to normal now?”

“Yes, well,” Gabriel dropped eye contact, “one way or another, after tonight ‘back to normal’ will no longer be an option.”

“What the hell does that-Rajji, take it down about twenty decibels, would you? I have neighbors and they are not shy about making noise complaints.”

“Sorry!” Rajji darted over to Jonathan and hugged his nose briefly before returning to the side of her Chosen. “I’m just so excited for all of us to be one big family!”

“One big family? What are you-” Jonathan’s jaw dropped suddenly. “Gabe, are you _proposing_?”

“That is the plan, yes,” Gabriel replied. He reached into his other pocket, pulled out a small jewelry box and flipped it open. Jonathan let out a low, appreciative whistle as he took the box from his friend and examined the ring within.

“You don’t think it’s a little presumptuous to pick the ring out for her?” Jonathan asked.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Jonathan, I love your sister more than anything on this earth, but she absolutely _cannot_ be trusted to match gemstone colors to skin tones. If it were up to me, she’d never pick out a single piece of jewelry for herself ever again.”

“It’s a diamond ring,” Jonathan said. “Aren’t they all the same color?”

For a moment, Gabriel was speechless. “Good Lord, it’s genetic,” he finally muttered. “I can only pray it’s recessive.”

Rolling his eyes, Jonathan handed the box back to Gabriel. “Aren’t you, uh… you know, you seem to be going for the traditional route here, so aren’t you supposed to ask for permission or a blessing or whatever first?”

“Ask whom?” Gabriel asked, confused. “Your father’s dead.”

“Tactful as always, Gabe. You know, Adele does have _other_ male relatives.”

“Does she? None she cares for enough to have mentioned to me.”

“Really?” Jonathan asked. “Not even, like, maybe a slightly older-but still incredibly young and attractive-relative? One who, I don’t know, stepped up after her parents died and took care of her for two years? Maybe he’s still watching out for her even now, in his own funny and superpowerless way-” Jonathan was cut off by the extremely rare sound of Gabriel Agreste laughing.

“You want me to ask _your_ permission to propose to Adele?” Gabriel asked. “Jonathan, that is priceless. I look forward to telling Adele all about it once she’s accepted.”

“Oh, come on Gabe, you know I didn’t mean it like-”

“Well, this has been fun,” Gabriel interrupted, glancing at his wristwatch, “but I really do need to be going. Again, I appreciate you watching Rajji for me.” He began to head toward the door.

“Gabe, wait.” Gabriel turned back around, and Jonathan took a deep breath. “Okay, you didn’t ask for my blessing but I want you to know you’ve got it anyway. You and Adele are perfect for each other and, well, I pretty much already think of you as a brother anyway, so I couldn’t be happier that it’s finally going to be official.”

Gabriel blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. “Oh. I. Well, yes, I also am, that is, quite fond of our, uh, relationship, and, well-”

“Jeez, Gabe, I hope you’re more articulate with Adele tonight.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “I did have one or two statements prepared in advance, yes.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jonathan took a step forward and gave his friend a quick hug. “Good luck tonight. I'm sure she’ll say yes.”

“Thank you.” Gabriel hugged his friend back, then left. Jonathan looked over at Rajji, who was floating in midair and still shaking with excitement.

“So, uh,” Jonathan glanced around his empty apartment as he tried to remember how to babysit, “you wanna see what's on TV?”

 

~~~

 

“Gabriel, this place is stunning,” Adele said appreciatively, looking around at the elegant restaurant and out the giant window next to their table, with its breathtaking view of Paris at night.

“I'm glad you approve.”

“I think it might be nicer than where we went for either of our anniversaries. The dating one _or_ the superhero one.”

“Yes, well,” Gabriel took an uncharacteristically large sip of wine before putting the glass down and tapping his fingers on the table, “if one requires a private room with a view, one is restricted to a certain caliber of establishment.”

“Requires?” Adele asked.

“I… wanted to be able to discuss some things freely. I know we usually save sensitive conversations for the privacy of our apartment, but in this case, well, I thought a certain ambiance might not go amiss.”

“I see,” Adele said slowly. “What did you want to discuss?”

“Well…” Gabriel trailed off and dropped eye contact, looking out the window instead. “You know, I’d thought that after I'd seen the city from the very top of the Eiffel Tower at night, no other vantage point could ever compare. However, this one manages to come close.”

“It does,” Adele agreed. “Less windy, too,” she added.

“Yes. Well. The thing is, Miss Dumas… Adele… is that the past two years of my life have been wholly and utterly unlike anything I had ever envisioned for myself.” Gabriel looked out the window again, but this time he caught sight of Adele in its reflection. There was a familiar, almost mischievous glint in her eye, one that wasn't there while Gabriel was looking at her directly. Sighing, Gabriel looked back at her. “Out of curiosity, Miss Dumas, have you already divined the exact nature of my purpose here tonight?”

Adele bit back a grin. “Maybe,” she said, “but keep talking anyway.”

“How did you- I was _extremely_ careful not to leave any hints, any way to-”

“I'm an empath, Gabriel,” Adele interrupted gently. “I think you'll find surprising me isn't really an option.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” he murmured. “In that case… and seeing as how your answer is rather obvious at this point,” he pulled the small black box out of his pocket and began to slide it across the table, “you might as well have-”

“Oh, no,” Adele said firmly, pushing the box back towards her date. “If you want that ‘yes’ out of me, Gabriel Agreste, you’re going to have to earn it by finishing whatever little speech you'd planned.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Is that really necessary?”

“I'm afraid so,” Adele said, leaning back in her chair and now openly grinning. “You hadn't even gotten to the part about me yet.”

Defeated, Gabriel picked the box back up. “Adele, in the past two years I have experienced enough excitement, enough adventure, enough wonder for ten lifetimes. But…” Gabriel took another deep breath, “but the greatest adventure of it all, the greatest wonder, has simply been being at your side. I never imagined myself as a superhero, but even less did I ever imagine finding someone like you. Someone who is brave and passionate, and who brought those qualities out in me before I even knew I had the capacity for them. Adele… before we met, I was an incomplete man.”

Gabriel paused, waiting for a response, but Adele simply kept watching him. She was still grinning, but her eyes were wet, shining in the gentle candlelight. Gabriel opened the box and turned it towards Adele. “Oh,” she gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Adele,” Gabriel continued, “you have been exceptionally patient with me-”

Adele snorted. “That's the first time in my life I've ever been accused of having _that_ trait.”

“-while I've been focusing on building my company,” Gabriel finished. “I know I haven't been as available as you deserve in a partner, in either sense of the word. I've forgotten dinners, missed patrols.”

“It's your dream, Gabriel, your life,” Adele replied. “Of course I understand.”

“Without you, Adele, I have no dream, no life. I can no longer imagine any future without you. For the past two years I have been making plans and building something based on a vision that is now hopelessly dated, thrown off the rails and replaced by something far more miraculous. So I believe it is time to start building that life as well.” Gabriel gently pried the ring from its box, then took Adele's hand and placed it in her palm before closing her fingers around it. “Marry me, Adele,” Gabriel whispered. “Build a life with me. Grow old with me.”

Tears were falling freely from Adele’s eyes now, and she opened her mouth to respond but for a second no sound emerged. She nodded, somewhat frantically, as she did her best to recover her powers of speech. “Yes,” she finally said, her voice breaking, “yes, yes, of course I will, Gabriel, yes!” She leaned forward suddenly, kissing her fiancé. He kissed her back immediately, leaning over their small table and placing a hand to the side of her face, pulling her into him, his fingers catching in her hair.

Adele pulled away a few moments later, smiling, and Gabriel wordlessly took the ring from her grasp before sliding it onto her finger. Adele’s grin widened as she looked down at her hand. The diamond caught the dim light of their private room and reflected dots of it onto her face.

“It's a perfect fit,” she whispered, and Gabriel kissed her again.


End file.
